Dr Meehan is a Senior Research Fellow in the Translational Oncology Program at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research which is an affiliate of the Centre for Medical Research at the University of Western Australia. She graduated with a BSc (with distinction and First Class Honours) from Curtin University in 1998, completed a PhD from UWA in 2002 and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Curtin University in 2015. Despite a non-linear career trajectory, she has ~15 years of national and international research and teaching experience in cancer biology and pathology. Dr Meehan has worked at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (Vancouver, Canada), the University of Arizona (Tucson, USA), the Hudson Institute of Medical Research (Melbourne, Australia), the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Western Australia. Dr Meehan has published 69 papers in high-quality journals and has secured over $5 million dollars as a chief investigator.

Katie always welcomes emails from high-achieving undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in cancer research.

Past 5 years only

2024 FHRI Fund Consumer and Community Involvement Support, $25,000/1 year (CI); “Micro Community Yarns about cancer in Aboriginal people”.

2024 Cancer Council WA Research Project Grant, $140,000/1 year (CI); “Silent Struggle: Colorectal Cancer Disparity among Aboriginal Australians”.

2023 Perpetual Project Grant, $76,000/1 year (CI); “Addressing gaps in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and remote lung cancer patients”.

2023 Cancer Council WA Research Project Grant, $120,000/1 year (CI); “From Genomics to Geography: Exploring Drivers of Lung Cancer Treatment and Outcome in Aboriginal and remote populations in Western Australia”. 

2023 Spinnaker Health Research Foundation Grant. CI. $18,640/1 year (CI); “Evaluating the role of statins in breast cancer prognosis and management”.

2023 Spinnaker Health Research Foundation Grant, $18,980/1 year (AI); “From Genomics to Geography: Exploring Drivers of Lung Cancer Treatment and Outcome in Aboriginal and remote populations in Western Australia”. 

2023 Harry Perkins Institute Collaborative Grant, $200,000/2 years (CI); “Genetics to Geography: Addressing Adverse Outcomes in Indigenous Cancer”.

2021 Academic Equipment Grant 2020-21 (2nd round), $200,000 (CI); ZETAVIEW Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Instrument.

2020 Lee Hysan Foundation Research Grant and Endowment Fund Research Grant Schemes 2020-2021, $20,000/1 year (CI); ‘Realizing the potential of extracellular vesicles as novel biomarkers for oral cavity cancers’.

2020 Mainland and Taiwan Strategic Partnership Development Programme 2020-21, $5,000 (CI); ‘Extracellular vesicle collaboration’.

2019 The Chinese University of Hong Kong Improvement on competitiveness in hiring new faculties, $500,000/2 years (CI); ‘A holistic approach to liquid biopsies for oral cavity cancers’.

Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. 

Head of Division, Cancer Biology, Unit Co-ordinator, Researcher, University of Western Australia, Perth WA.

Senior Research Officer, Prince Henrys Institute for Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria.

Research Associate, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.

Post-doctoral Fellow, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada.

• Dr Meehan’s current research program includes a number of projects, including:

  • Improving outcomes for Aboriginal people with Breast, Lung, Colorectal, and Head and Neck Cancer.  
  • Understanding the importance of HER2 biology in breast cancer.
  • Exploring high breast density and DNA damage in breast cancer.

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Queensland University of Technology

Curtin University

Edith Cowan University

Fiona Stanley Hospital

Royal Perth Hospital

PathWest

SouthWest Aboriginal Medical Service

Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service